1.1 INTRODUCTION. EMP Report For 3.30 Ha. of Feldspar &, Quartz Mine located in Budharam village, Gopalpet Mandal, Wanaparthy District, T.S.

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1 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 INTRODUCTION M/s.SRI SAI MINES & MINERALS was granted Mining lease for Quartz & Feldspar in Survey Number 3.30 over an extent of 3.30 Hect. In sy No. 326 & 330 Budharam village, Gopalpet Mandal, Wanaparthy District, Telangana State and had been executed vide proceedings No. 668/M/2004, dated with Asst. Director of Mines & Geology, Mahabubnagar. Originally, the company made M.L application for quartz & Feldspar and the Director, Mines & Geology recommended the same. Accordingly, Govt. of A.P issued Memo No /M1(3)/02, dated to submit approved Mining Plan. The mining plan was prepared and submitted for Quartz and Feldspar. But, during the inspection, the department opened that only Quartz is available in the area and hence, the Mining Plan was approved on by the Director, Mines & Geology, Hyderabad for Quartz only. Accordingly, the Govt. had issued G.O. Ms. No. 133 Ind & Com (M1) dated granting Mining lease for Quartz only. The applicant had commenced the mining operations for the extraction of Quartz. During the mining operation occurrence of Grey Feldspar had been noticed within the Quartz veins. Fortunately, during mining operations, a huge quantity of Grey Feldspar could be seen from the faces of the bench and is continuing further depths. Since, the applicant have obtained mining lease only for the quartz and could not excavate the feldspar or rather could not sell Feldspar that is available, have applied for the inclusion of Feldspar in the already granted mining lease. In this context, the Zonal Joint Director of Mines & Geology, Hyderabad Zone vide letter No /ML-MBNR/10, dated had advised the applicant to submit an approved mining plan to take further action on the inclusion of feldspar as additional mineral in the existing quartz mining lease. Hence, the mining plan is submitted and approved vide Lr.No.1424/MP-MBNR/11 Dated: M/s.SRI SAI MINES & MINERALS is conscious of its responsibility towards the society in minimizing the pollution load due to this proposed activity and according to EIA notification, 15 th January 2016 issued by MoEF, GOI, New Delhi for obtaining Environmental Clearance from DEIAA, Wanaparhty; the project proponents intends to 1

2 prepare an Environmental Management Plan for submission for grant of Environmental Clearance for their 3.30 Ha.of Quartz & Feldspar Mine Lease area. Table 1: SALIENT FEATURES OF THE STUDY AREA Details of the Study Area District & State Wanaparthy, Telangana Mandal Gopalpet Village Budharam Nature of the Area Partly Govt. Waste land & patta land owned Latitude & Longitude Latitude:16 o N Longitude:78 o E General Climatic Conditions Maximum Temperature 40 o C Minimum Temperature 15 o C Annual Rainfall 800 mm Wind Pattern NW-W Accessibility Road Connectivity A metal & non-metal road of 0.8 km length is connecting to the area from Budharam Village. Rail Connectivity The nearest Railway station is located at Jadcherla at a District of 40 km from the ML area. Airport Hyderabad/Shamsabad Nearest Village Budharam Village 0.8 km from ML area Nearest City Hyderabad city. Historical / Important Places Archaeologically Important Site Nil within the study area Historically Important Site Nil within the study area Sensitive Places Nil within the study area Sanctuaries / National Parks Nil within the study area Nearest Forest Jangamayyapalli RF & Gangaram RF -3.6 Km;Gopalpet RF-6.5 Km Nearest Water Body Water Pond ( W)-0.2 Km,Budharam Cheruvu-1.2 Km,Pond (NW)-1.5 Km Interstate Boundary Telangana and Karnataka Interstate boundary is at 60 km from ML area. Figure 1 shows the 10 km radius of the study area around the Mine Lease area. 2

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4 2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION 2.1 THE PROJECT The Lessee deals with the production of 16,200 TPA of Quartz & 19,250 TPA Feldspar mineral over an extent of 3.30 Ha in Sy. No. 326 & 330 of Budharam Village, Gopalpet Mandal, Wanaparthy District of Telangana. The lease area is worked by using open cast semi mechanized method with the help of drilling & blasting. The lease area is at the intersection of 16 o N latitudes and 78 o E longitudes. The area is located at a Distance of 0.8 km from Budharam Village. 2.2 NEED FOR THE PROJECT In order to meet the statutory requirements the lessee intends to obtain Environmental Clearance from Statutory Authorities. 2.3 TOPOGRAPHY The subject M.L area consisting of two continuous hills elevated to an altitude of 125 m from the genral ground level i.e, 93 m. The hill in the south of the lease area is having highest altitude of 125 m and the lowest level is 93 m from the Assumed Bench Mark taken at the western lease boundary of the Mining Lease, shown in the plate-iii. The subject M.L area consisting of two continuous hills elevated to an altitude of 125 m from the genral ground level i.e, 93 m. The hill in the south of the lease area is having highest altitude of 125 m and the lowest level is 93 m The meteoric precipitation on the mounds follows the natural slopes and joins the reservoir situated to the north of the Budharam village. 2.4 GEOLOGY General Geology The M.L area forms a part of the Archean Group. Acid Igneous rocks consisting of Peninsular Gneisses, Porphyritic Granites with Pegmatitic emplacements belonging to the Archeans occur per force in the area. The granites of this region are younger and during 4

5 the cooling of magmas the quartz and feldspars emanated and formed as pocket and vein deposits in this region. The dolerite dyke intermittently cutting these younger granites are seen in this region Local Geology Litho-facies map of the M.L area had been prepared on 1:1000 scale. The distinct mappable litho-units, present mining pit position have been differentiated, traced and plotted in the surface Geological plan.granite being the parent rock in this particular area is the base rock. Incidentally the particular litho-unit is an established marker bed to indicate the base of Quartz and Feldspar formation. Quartz and Feldspar are occurring in the form of pocket/vein. All the litho-units have sharp contacts. The quartz is buff to off white in colour, glassy in nature and occurring as a pocket. The feldspar is off whitish grey in colour with two sets of cleavage planes and glassy luster occurring as lensoid at the south and north end of the vein. The Quartz and Feldspar are pocket/vein and a in general is having N-S trend dipping vertically towanwards. Exploration: Already Carried Out: A contour plan prepared on 1:1000 scale with 1m contour interval, is taken as base plan for the preparation of surface geological plan. The area has already been exposed to show the presence of quartz and feldspar beds, as the quartz is directly exposed as massive outcrops and the occurrence of feldspar is though by the presence of rubble on the surface but confirmed when the mine has opened for quartz. The mining operations have been commenced to excavate quartz, while making approach road and bench formation from the ground level towards the rising hill, grey feldspar have been occurred. The pit is opened to a depth of 7m, over an area of 15m length and 45 m wide. Future Programme: The lessee had opened the pits in the area and could prove the depth persistence. But, in analogy with the behavior of the present mines, normally and feldspar existence is envisaged to a depth of 10 m. However, to prove the depth persistence, it is proposed to drill 4 DTH boreholes in the area to bring the probable and possible reserves to proved category. 5

6 2.5 GEOLOGICAL RESERVES The reserves of Quartz and Feldspar are not blocked by the buffer zone. Entire feldspar and quartz available will be mined and are not blocked by the pit slopes also, as the pit extensions will be made into the country rock to extract the entire useful minerals. Therefore the mineable reserves will be as given below: Mineable Reserves = Geological Reserves Non Mineable reserves a) Feldspar : 71,330 Nil = 71,330 tonnes Mineable Reserves b) Quartz : 2,58,160 Nil = 2,58,160 tonnes Mineable reserves Life of the Mine: a) In respect of Feldspar, proposed production per annum is 19250tonnes Life of the mine = Mineable Reserves/ Average Production = 71,330/ 19,250 = 3.75 or 4 Years b) In respect of Quartz, proposed production per annum is tonnes Life of the mine = Mineable Reserves/ Average Production = 2,58,160/ 16,200 = 15.9 or 16 Years 2.6 MINING Mining in the lease hold is being accomplished by the open cast, other than fully mechanized method of working. The Feldspar & Quartz production will be obtained by excavating in the form of benches. Bench height chosen is 1.5m, one after the other. The mining operations have been commenced from the southern end of the lease boundary from the 100m level proceeded towards north making box cut trench to make ramp. In the ensuing first five years mining shall be extended both along the trend and dip of the feldspar and quartz vein deposit. A box cut trench had been made from the south side of the hill to get a clear face of the mineral body. The same will be advanced towards north for feldspar and quartz in the first three years of the ensuing five year period mining operations. In the fourth and fifth year mining operations another pit will be opened from the northern end of the lease boundary. 6

7 There will not be much development work involved in proposed mining area because, the Feldspar is exposed to surface and a little quantity of top soil has to be handled while mining for feldspar, and the same will be utilized for laying the approach road. The quartz development will be commenced from the third year of the mining operations. It is proposed to raise about tonnes of quartz and tonnes of Feldspar per annum. The production rate will be maintained uniform at the rate of tonnes of quartz and tonnes of Feldspar per annum. The entire mine workings will be single operation. For the feldspar and quartz there is no sub-grade or mineral rejects. Entire quartz and feldspar will be mined and utilized. Conceptual Mining Plan: In the ensuing first five years of mining operations, the mineral will be excavated upto 90 m level in the hill. In the next five years period the operations will be continued further down from the floor level 109 m for the quartz production. The mining operations in the next five years period will be made from pit 1 i.e, for quartz the face advancement will be from southern side. This is the projections made based on the pit made. However, after the drilling of the DTH boreholes the projections may change and will be modified accordingly and informed the same. However, after commencement of mining operations and depending upon the market used the projections may vary. The size of the pit at present is 15m x 45m x 7m, and at the end of the five year plan period the pit size will be 100m x 70m x 10m in pit 1 in the southern end of the mining lease, and 50 m x 25m x 105m in pit 2 on the northern side. The waste generated at the end of the mine, in the form of mineral rejects will be around 1,10,000 tonnes. The waste generated will be dumped in slopes of the hill to make it a level ground. Hence, the pits cannot be reclaimed will be kept as it is for the storage of rain water, to be used as reservoir. The expected quantities of water accumulated in the pits will be around 1,11,000 cu.m i.e., 111 million litres. Open Cast mines working: Mode of Working: The proposed mode of mining in the area is opencast, other than fully mechanized method. The top thin veneer of soil will be removed first. Feldspar 7

8 will be removed in the form of slices. Each will be of 1.5m thick and the bench height will be 3m. It is proposed to continue the mine from the southern end of the lease. A box cut trench made at 100m level from the southern end of the hill will be advanced towards north and reach the face in the mineral zone and will be advanced further north in the feldspar mineral body. The first five year mining operations will be restricted to the floor level of 90m. The mine Quartz and Feldspar, drilling and blasting is required which will be accomplished by using jack hammer and Tractor mounted Compressor (TMC). Apart from this no mechanization is required to mine this area. The segregation and loading will be done manually. Mining in the Quartz and Feldspar are depends upon the nature of the deposit. The behavior is erratic and not uniform. Therefore, the year wise production blocks projected may vary but overall five years production will be restricted to the level and block shown in approved mining plan Plate V. Extent of Mechanization: Drilling Machines: One tractor mounted compressor will be used for drilling. Loading equipment: Loading will be done manually. Haulage and Transport Equipment Haulage within the mining lease-hold (from head to the stock yard) will be done by hired tractors of 2.5 tonnes capacity and loaded manually. Transport from mine- head and stock yard to the destination; The ore will be transported to the consumers by the trucks arranged by them and they are generally of 10 tonnes or 17 tonnes trucks of Tata or Ashok Leyland make and are loaded manually. BLASTING: Broad blasting parameters: Drilling and blasting is required to mine quartz and feldspar, Drilling will be carried by using Jack hammers and drill rods of various lengths. Blast holes will be drilled to a maximum of various lengths. Blast holes will be drilled to a maximum depth of 1.5m depending on the bench height. The spacing and burden will be 1.5m and 1m respectively to minimize the powder and achieve good fragmentation in the form of lumps. Each hole will be charged with powerfgel slurry explosive and ANFO 8

9 is used as a booster. Each hole of drilled and blasted will yield about 3 material. In order to achieve a production of tonnes per year of Quartz and 117tonnes/year almost 40 holes of 1.5m depth to be drilled and blasted per day. A blast of holes will be taken to yield the production and thus the annual production will be maintained. The blasting will be taken up by the contractor who is having permission to store and usage of explosives. Type of explosives: Explosives like power gel and nitrous compounds are used for blasting. Powder factor in ore and overburden/waste: Explosive charge per hole is 125 g power gel stick or slurry where as ANFO charge is about 500 g. This is the genral practice adopted in most of the Quartz/Feldspar mining operations. This methodology is practiced to produce bigger lumps and minimize powder form. The expected powder factor in quartz/feldspar mining is area 24 tonnes/kg of explosive. At this rate the requirement of explosive per day is kgs/day of around 122 kgs/month. There is no overburden to be excavated with blasting in the proposed mining area for the first five years. Secondary blasting: Secondary blasting does not arise. Storage of explosive: Does not arise, as it is proposed to give it on contractual basis for those who is holding valid explosive license and certified blaster to take up the mining operations. Use of Minerals: The Quartz and feldspar from this mine is not meant for captive use. The minerals quartz and feldspar will be sold to the consumers. The main consumers of quartz are ferro-alloys Industries, Ceramics or Glass industries. Feldspar is extensively used in ceramic industry as glazing material and also in the picture tube manufacturing. 9

10 2.7 MINERAL BENEFICIATION: No beneficiation is necessary. However the outer weathered layer will be chipped off to remove impurities 2.8 SITE SERVICES A small office, rest shelter, first aid station, toilets and drinking water is provided in the lease area to meet the statutory requirements. 2.9 EMPLOYMENT POTENTIAL The mining activity will provide the job facilities to the local people. It will have 1 Mining supervisor, skilled & unskilled labour about 13 persons. 10

11 3. EVALUATION OF IMPACTS 3.1 INTRODUCTION Opencast mining activity causes some adverse impacts on the surround environment unless proper environmental management plan is adopted. Selecting suitable sites for mining and adopting the guidelines prescribed by the Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF) and Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM), one can minimize the major possible impacts. In this chapter, an attempt has been made to quantify the possible environmental impacts on various features such as air, water, noise, land, ecology and socio-economies. The following aspects have been studied to identify the possible impacts while achieving the proposed total production of 16,200 TPA of Quartz & 19,250 TPA Feldspar. The magnitude and significance of the environmental pollution caused by mining depends on method of mining, scale and concentration of mining activity. 3.2 AIR ENVIRONMENT The impacts on air environment from a mining activity depend on various factors like production capacity, machinery involved, operations and maintenance of various equipments and vehicle. Apart from these, there will be other activities associated viz transportation of mineral and waste, stacking facilities and dump management within the mine lease area that may contribute to pollution SOURCES OF DUST EMISSION Mining is carried out by open cast method by using small scale drilling & blasting. Based on the various operations involved in the production of minerals, the various emission sources have been identified as given below. a. Point sources b. Area sources. c. Line sources. Drilling operations of the mine are considered as point sources. Extraction of mineral from mine, are considered as area sources. Transportation of material from mining 11

12 benches to various end points is considered as line source. The impact of above sources on air environment is discussed below: a) Drilling & Blasting Drilling and Blasting is required only to a very small extent to mine the minerals in this area. There is scanty overburden and no blasting is required for overburden removal from this area. The drill holes of diameter 35 mm, will be drilled to maximum depth of 1.5 m, with the help of jackhammer. In order to achieve a total production of 16,200 TPA of Quartz & 19,250 TPA of Feldspar.The average production per day considering 300 working days per annum is 54 TPD of Quartz & 64.1 TPD of Feldspar. Blasting will done using small diameter slurry based explosives and detonators. Air pollutants will be generated during blasting are in the form of particulate matter. Blasting will be carried out during day time only and that too once every week. Blasting will be avoided during high windy periods. The concentrations due to instantaneous blasting will be high and is confined to a maximum Distance of 100 m from the area of the blast around each pit. These concentrations will not be emitted continuously. However presence of personnel near the blasting site during blasting will be totally avoided. So, the impact of blasting on the air environment will be minimal. All the necessary precautions as per the statute shall be followed for Drilling and Blasting. Haulage &Transportation: In the operating mine, the excavated material form mine face to the stockyard is transported by tippers. The tippers are well maintained so that exhaust smoke does not contribute abnormal values of noxious gases and unburnt hydrocarbons. The other sources of air pollution are due to the dust generated during the movement of dumpers/ tippers on the haul road. The above sources, which include drilling, blasting, excavation, haulage for transport of mineral will contribute to dust pollution in the air. The dust generated in the operating mine is that of topsoil with Quartz & Feldspar ANTICIPATED IMPACTS The impacts envisaged due to mining activity are evaluated based on various factors. The emission inventory of the pollutants is as follows, the main air pollutant would be dust or 12

13 particulate matter generated by handling and transportation of ore. But the impact of mining operations on air quality is minimum as mining involves opencast method by using small scale drilling & blasting and as the production quantity is very less i.e 54.0 TPD of Quartz & 64.1 TPD of Feldspar by means of an excavator Dust Generation and Control The air pollutant would be dust or particulate matter generated by handling and transportation of ore. The maximum concentration of Particulate Matter (PM10) recorded in Mine Lease is 28 µg/m 3. The envisaged production of minerals is only 54.0 TPD of Quartz & 64.1 TPD of Feldspar. The dust generated due to mining operations will be controlled by water sprinkling through water tankers. 3.3 NOISE ENVIRONMENT Noise produced at the mine is due to drilling, blasting, movement of vehicles and other machinery. The noise generated by the mining activity is dissipated within a small zone around the mine. There is no major impact of the mining activity on the vicinity however; pronounced effect of above noise levels will felt only near the active working area and on the personnel working in the vicinity. The impact of noise on the villages is negligible as the villages are located far from the mine site. 3.4 WATER ENVIRONMENT The Mining activity will be carried out on the gentle slope will not have any effect on the ground water and the static water table in this area is below 40 m Impact on Surface Water There are no major streams and rivers, which can get effected by the mining. Hence, there will be no effect on the surface water The rainwater drains the slopes of the area and joins to seasonal nallahs, which is running in outside the area Impact on Ground Water Mining activity will be above the BWL (40 m). Hence, there will be no effect on the ground water regime. 13

14 3.4.3 Impact on Water Quality Water quality in the buffer zone have indicated that the ground water is free from heavy metal concentration and this mining activity will not interference on the water quality Water Consumption & Wastewater Generation The water requirement for this proposed mining activity will be 5.5 KLD. Breakup details are: Sl. No Purpose Quantity (KLD) 1 Dust suppression purpose Domestic purpose Greenbelt purpose 1.0 Total 5.5 There is no generation & discharge of wastewater from this mine. 3.5 LAND ENVIRONMENT Various components of land environment have been identified for study of impact of the mine operations Solid Waste Generation About 8250 TPA of Feldspar waste and 4050 TPA of Quartz waste will be generate and 48,386 tonnes of waste material in the form mineral waste will be generated during the commencing first five year plan period. Initially this waste will be dumped on the southwest side of the pit. Then, this waste is proposed to reclaim the working pit. There are no chances of generation of toxic and hazardous elements from this made Impact on Land use The mine is located in an area of 3.30 ha. of Government waste Land and patta land. The mining lease area is not a part of any type of forest. Most of mine lease area is nonagricultural and sparsely vegetated, hence all the impact on land use is positive because of the proposed afforestation activities carried out by mine Lessee. Due to opencast mining activities, the landscape gets changed. There may not be much effect on the aesthetic environment of the lease area due to mining. The aesthetic beauty can be maintained by proper reclamation programme. Since this is an opencast mining proposal the land use on surface will not affect in any way. 14

15 3.5.3Impact of ground vibrations : Fragmentation of rock by blasting is an important operation in mining project, where hard ore occurs. Blasting is essential only to limited extent i.e about 20% of total production only. Blasting of the mineral at the proposed mine will be done by using small dia slurry explosive and detonators. The ground vibrations caused by blasting will not have any affect for the blasting pattern followed in the proposed mine. 3.6 BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT There is no adverse impact anticipated due to the mining activity on biological environment. However, with the implementation of the environmental management measures, there will be improvement in the parameters of biological environment. The tree species found with the core zone represent the common type of flora species along with small shrubs and bushes. Due to mining activities community structure of the vegetation will not change. Whereas diversity of plant species and food web index of the area shall be reduced to certain extent. However, if the proposed reclamation of the mining area and dumped out area using proper re-vegetation techniques and development of green belt around the ultimate pit limit and roadside, there shall be an improvement in the species diversity and food web index compared to the existing level. 3.7 SOCIO- ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT No Rehabilitation The mine area does not cover any habitation. Hence the mining activity does not involve any displacement of human settlement. No public buildings, places, monuments etc. exist within the lease area or in the vicinity. The mining operations will not Disturb / relocate any village or need resettlement. Thus no adverse impact is anticipated Improvement in Socio Economic Status It will be obvious to assume that the activities of the mining operations have to be produced some improvements in the socio-economic levels in the study area. 15

16 The Lessee is providing employment to local population and it will give preference to the local people whenever there is requirement of manpower. The mining activities shall provide employment to persons of different skills and trades. The employment potential ameliorated economic conditions of these families directly and provided employment to many other families indirectly who are involved in business and service oriented activities. This in-turn will improve the socio-economic conditions of the area Occupational Health and Safety The mine is going to be developed by opencast mining method. No major crushing or pulverization will be done here. The small-scale mining will not have any ill effects on the health of workers or employees. Excessive dust and noise are the chief health hazards for the miners. As already mentioned these causative factors are well within the safety limits and the proponents will strictly implement the prescribed safety measures. The health of the workers will be regularly checked and suitable medical facilities should be created on or close to the site. Highest safety will be ensured in the working conditions of the miners. 16

17 4. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN 4.1 INTRODUCTION The mining development in the study area needs to intertwine with judicious utilization natural resources within the limits of permissible assimilative capacity. The assimilative capacity of the study area is the maximum amount of pollution load that can be discharged in the environment without affecting the designated use and is governed by dilution, dispersion and removal due to natural physio-chemical and biological processes. The Environmental Management Plan (EMP) is required to ensure sustainable development in the study area. This chapter covers the genesis of pollution, the principal sources of pollution, the nature of pollution, the proposed measures required for meeting the prevailing statutory requirements of gaseous emissions, wastewater discharge characteristics, noise levels etc. for environmental management purpose in connection with the mining and mining related activities in the study area. This section discusses the management plan for mitigation/abatement impacts and enhancement of beneficial impacts due to mining. The Environmental Management Plan (EMP) has been designed within the framework of various Indian legislative and regulatory requirements on environmental and socio-economic aspects. Environmental Management Plan giving the environmental protection measures at mine to meet the stipulated norms of IBM/MoEF are as detailed. 4.2 AIR POLLUTION CONTROL MEASURES The present ambient air quality measurements in the mine area are well within the limits. Due to the proposed production of 54.0 TPD of Quartz & 64.1 TPD of Feldspar, there will be marginal increase in dust concentrations. Mitigative measures suggested for air pollution control are based on the baseline ambient air quality monitoring data. From the point of view of maintenance of an acceptable ambient air quality in the region, it is desirable that air quality should be monitored on a 17

18 regular basis to check it vis-à-vis the standards prescribed by CPCB. The following dust prone areas are identified for adopting proper control measures in the mine area. i) Drilling & Blasting ii) Excavation iii) Transportation The environmental control measures which will be implemented to control the fugitive dust released from the proposed production are given below: Wet drilling Use of sharp drill bits for drilling holes. Charging the holes by using optimum charge and using millisecond delay detonators Water sprinkling arrangements such as specially fabricated tankers mounted on tipper are deployed at mine site to control the fugitive dust generation from the haulage roads. Regular grading of haul roads and service roads to clear accumulation of loose material The blasted piles (temporary) are wetted by spraying water Avoiding blasting during high windy periods, night times and temperature inversion periods. Excavation operations are suspended during periods of very strong winds. Avoiding over filling of tippers and consequent spillage on the roads Massive afforestation for control of dust Spraying of water on sub grade stacks The vehicles and machinery are kept in well-maintained condition so that emission of fugitive constituents is minimized. Plantation of wide leaf trees, creepers, tall grass around working pit, along roads will help suppress dust. Tall trees with an average height of 5 m will be developed all along the boundary of the lease area to minimize the dispersion of the dust from the mining. Periodical monitoring of air quality to take steps to control the pollutants. 18

19 4.2.1 OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY MEASURES All the precautions would be adopted to prevent dust generation at site and to be dispersed into the outer environment. However, for the safety of workers at site, engaged at strategic locations/dust generation points like drilling, loading and unloading points, etc., dust masks would be provided. Dust masks would prevent inhalation of RSPM thereby reducing the risk of lung diseases and other respiratory disorders. Regular health monitoring of workers will be carried out. 4.3 NOISE POLLUTION CONTROL MEASURES The ambient noise level monitoring is carried out in and around the proposed mine shows that ambient noise levels are well within the stipulated limits of CPCB. Noise generation may be for an instant, intermittent or for continuous periods, with low to high decibels. Periodic inspection and checks of the risk prone areas and equipments have to be conducted. To control noise pollution during the proposed mining operations following steps will be practiced. The noise generated by the machinery will be reduced by proper lubrication of the machinery and equipment. The workers employed should be provided with personal hearing protection equipment, with earmuffs and earplugs combined, as a protection from the high noise level generated at the plant site. The provision of green barrier along the boundary will further reduce the propagation of noise level generated. Limiting time exposure of workers to excessive noise. Carrying out blasting only during daytime and avoiding the same on cloudy days and when strong wind blows across. Speed of trucks entering or leaving the mine is limited to moderate speed of 25 kmph to prevent undue noise from empty tippers. 19

20 4.3.1 CONTROL OF GROUND VIBRATIONS During blasting, proper blast pattern should be adopted. The latest technology delay blasting should be adopted to reduce the impact on the ground vibration and noise generation during blasting operations. Shock tube initiation system with sequential blasting should be adopted Blasting should be done in only one bench at a time. Charge weights per delay should be properly adopted so that the peak particle velocity will be maintained as per the DGMS requirement. All the above-mentioned points will be taken care, while planning and conducting blasts Safety in Blasting Care should be taken to evacuate the mining area completely at the time of blasting operations. The blasting team should be equipped with all personal safety and precautionary measure. The following safety measures will be given attention while conducting the blasting operations. A blasting SIREN should be used at the time of blasting for audio signal. Before blasting and after blasting, red & green flags should be displayed as visual signals. Warning notice boards indicating the time of blasting and NOT TO TRESPASS are displayed prominently. 4.4 WATER POLLUTION CONTROL MEASURES The action program for minimizing adverse effects on water regime is to prevent washoff of mine water and uncontrolled run-off water during monsoon. Proposed measures for this are as follows: Building/extending of retention/toe walls at the foot of the dumps Construction of Garland drains along the slopes to divert the rainwater course away from the dumping areas. Covering of dump slopes with grass plantation to stabilize and prevent erosion. Plantation of trees along the ridges and slopes. 20

21 Stabilization of worked out slopes by planting appropriate shrub/grass species on the slopes to prevent material wash off. 4.5 LAND ENVIRONMENT The Environmental Management Plan of land environment is divided into the following three components. a) Solid waste management b) Reclamation of degraded areas c) Afforestation/plantation/Greenbelt Development Solid Waste Management About 8250 TPA of Feldspar waste and 4050 TPA of Quartz waste will be generate and 48,386 tonnes of waste material in the form mineral waste will be generated during the commencing first five year plan period. Initially this waste will be dumped on the southwest side of the pit. Then, this waste is proposed to reclaim the working pit. There are no chances of generation of toxic and hazardous elements from this made Reclamation and rehabilitation: The area proposed for mining is about 3.30 Hect. No reclamation of the land is proposed. The mined our area will be used for storing rain water and will be act as a ground water recharge pit. A parapet wall will be constructed all along the pit to ensure safety. The entire area will be fenced off after the closure of the mine so as to prevent entry. Caution boards will be erected at vantage points to warn locals of the mine and its closure Reclamation plan: No reclamation of the land is proposed. The mined our area will be used for storing rain water and will be act as a ground water recharge pit. The entire area will be fenced off after the closure of the mine so as to prevent entry. Caution boards will be erected at vantage points to warn locals of the mine and its closure Reclamation programme: The mined out area will be used for storing rain water and will be act as a ground water recharge pit. The entire area will be fenced off after the closure of the mine so as to 21

22 prevent entry. Caution boards will be erected at vantage points to warn locals of the mine and its closure Plantation Programme: Afforestation has its own limitations, as the terrain is rocky and soil is carce. However, at the rate of 50 saplings per annum of neem, gulmohar and mango varieties will be planted in the first five years along the periphery of the lease hold covering an area of 1710 sq.m (0.17Hectare). Apart from the green belts and aesthetic plantation for eliminating fugitive emissions and noise control, all other massive plantation efforts shall be decided and executed with the assistance and co-operation of the local community. Based on the community needs the afforestation would mainly aim at: a) Protection & Development of Natural Vegetation b) Protection of soil erosion c) Plantations of fuel wood blocks to meet the energy requirements 4.6 SOCIO ECONOMIC BENEFITS There is positive impact on socio-economics of people living in the villages. The villages in buffer zone depend upon agriculture. Mining operations in the subject area has positive impact by providing direct and indirect job opportunities. There will be indirect employment opportunities in transportation of ore to destination. 4.7 POST PROJECT MONITORING The Lessee will monitor the environmental parameters as per TSPCB/IBM/CPCB guidelines. 4.8 IMPLEMENTATION OF EMP & MONITORING PROGRAMME The environment management plan is detailed on the basis of impact assessment. Control and mitigation measures for the adverse impacts envisaged. As the major environmental attributes have been confined to the project area alone, implementations of the proposed control measures and monitoring thereof will be undertaken on the regional basis. The Lessee will ensure the implementation of the measures within the mine area and carryout 22

23 efficient monitoring. In order to implement the measures suggested for mitigating the adverse impacts on the environment, it is suggested to monitor the environmental parameters regularly. A detail of investments to carry out the regular monitoring and pollution control measures is given below in table 2. Table 2 : Cost of Environmental Protection Measures (in Rs. Lakhs) Sl.No Description Item Capital Cost Recurring Cost 1 Air pollution Nose Marks 20 No's Water pollution Remarks Replaceable, and cost can increase with time Cloth foremplyes 20 no 2.0m each. - 1, Issued thrice in a year Gunny bags for covering the surface of jackhammer holes - 1, As and when needed Road wetting and plant Water tanker three 25, , water feeding tankers per day for 8 months Plantation on road side Re-plant the non-surviving 30, , plus maintenance plants Construction of garland Once only (For manual desilting) 20, , drains De-silting operations - Yearly and manual 30, operations Once in year, cost incurred is Construction of check 40, , to buy sand bags and filling dams and siltation ponds sand Construction of Cost of construction of wall retaining wall for waste - - around the dip side of the dump dump. Maintenance of 3 Noise Pollution machinery suitably Rs per 3 months PPE s like Ear muffs Rs. 15 each 4 Occupational Health & Safety Providing First aid kits 3 No s and fire extinguishers 2 No s Providing Personal protective equipments to all employees (hand gloves, safety shoe and helmets) 20, , Included in main cost 6, , Once in six months 6, , , , Once in year, replace by conducting periodical checkup Included in air pollution and noise pollution 23

24 5 Environmental monitoring 6 CSR Activities Training and awareness programs on risk factors during emergencies by the experts Periodical medical checkup and supply of medicines Rs. 200 per head Ambient air quality studies Once in six months 3 locations Water quality studies Once a year 3 Locations Noise studies once in six months 3 Locations Vibration studies Once in year 1 location For providing School uniform, Books and health camp etc. 15, , , , , , , , , , TOTAL 2,72, ,47, Once in six months and create sign boards about the risk and safety precautions regularly Once in a year and supply of medicines for every three months MoEF /NABL recognized laboratories 24

25 Conclusion Based on the EMP study it is observed that there will be a marginal increase in the dust pollution, which will be controlled by sprinkling of water and transportation of mineral in closed trucks. There will be negligible impact on ambient environment & ecology due to mining activities, moreover the mining operations will lead to direct and indirect employment generation in the area. Hence, it can be summarized that the development of these mines will have a positive impact on the socio-economics of the area and lead to overall sustainable development of the region. 25